Method and System for Accessing a Virtual Seismic Cube

1. A method for processing requests for seismic data, comprising: receiving, from a requestor, a first read request to read a first portion of a seismic cube, the first read request comprising a virtual location of the first portion, wherein the seismic cube is a set of seismic data elements specified for each portion of a continuous geographic region that specifies a position of each data element in the continuous geographic region, and wherein the virtual location is a geographic identifier of the first portion defined in relation to the seismic cube as a whole; querying a seismic cube index to obtain a mapping parameter and a first storage location of a first section including the first portion of the seismic cube, the mapping parameter mapping virtual locations in the seismic cube with data locations in the first section, wherein the first section is identified using the virtual location of the first portion; calculating, with a computer processor and using the mapping parameter, a first data location in the first section corresponding to the virtual location of the first portion; and transmitting a second read request to the first storage location of the first section, wherein the second read request comprises the first data location, wherein the requestor receives the first portion from the first storage location.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor receiving the first portion from the first storage location comprises: receiving a response to the second read request, wherein the response comprises the first portion; and forwarding the response to the requestor.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting that the first portion of the seismic cube spans the first section and a second section; querying the seismic cube index to identify a second storage location of the second section; calculating a second data location in the second section corresponding to the virtual location of the first portion; transmitting a third read request to the second storage location, the third read request comprising the second data location; receiving seismic data from the first section and the second section; merging the seismic data from the first section and the second section into the first portion of the seismic cube; and transmitting the first portion of the seismic cube to the requestor.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the requestor, a write request for writing resultant seismic data to seismic cube, the write request comprising a virtual location of a second portion of the seismic cube; querying, using the virtual location of the second portion, the seismic cube index to identify a second section having the second portion; selecting a second storage location for storing a new section of seismic cube; storing, in the second storage location, the resultant seismic data as the new section; updating the seismic cube index to reflect that the second portion is stored in the second storage location; and updating the seismic cube index to indicate, for the second section, that a new version is created for the second portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein selecting the second storage location is performed in accordance with a write policy.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first section is the same as the second section.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the requestor, a first write request for writing resultant seismic data to the seismic cube, the first write request comprising a virtual location of a second portion of the seismic cube; querying, using the virtual location of the second portion, the seismic cube index to identify a second section having a second portion; and sending, to the second section, a second write request to write the resultant seismic data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first section is the same as the second section.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving the first portion of the seismic cube; analyzing the first portion of the seismic cube to obtain analysis results; and sending, based on the analysis results, instructions for performing an oilfield operation to oilfield equipment located at the oilfield.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seismic cube is divided into sections across a plurality of storage devices distributed across a network.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor is analysis application.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the first read request comprises: intercepting the first read request.

13. A system, comprising: a memory device; a seismic cube index stored in the memory device and comprising a plurality of index entries, a first entry of the plurality of index entries comprising: a virtual location of a first section, a first storage location of the first section; and a mapping parameter for mapping virtual locations in a seismic cube to data locations in the first section, wherein the seismic cube is a set of seismic data elements specified for each portion of a continuous geographic region that specifies a position of each data element in the continuous geographic region; and a computer processor; a seismic cube index application, executing on the computer processor, and configured to: receive a first read request to read a first portion of the seismic cube, the first read request comprising a virtual location of the first portion, wherein the virtual location is a geographic identifier of the first portion defined in relation to the seismic cube as a whole; query, using the virtual location of the first portion, the seismic cube index to obtain the mapping parameter and the first storage location of the first section having the first portion, wherein the first section is identified using the virtual location of the first section and the virtual location of the first portion; calculate, using the mapping parameter, a first data location in the first section corresponding to the virtual location of the first portion; and transmit a second read request to the first storage location of the first section, the second read request comprising the first data location.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising: a first storage device for storing the first section; and a second storage device for storing a second section, wherein the plurality of entries comprises a second entry comprising: a virtual location of the second section; and a second storage location of the second section, the second storage location identifying the second storage device, and wherein the seismic cube index application is further configured to: detect that the first portion spans the first section and the second section; query, using the virtual location of the first portion, the seismic cube index to identify the second storage location of the second section; calculate a second data location in the second section corresponding to the virtual location of the first portion; transmit a third read request to the second storage location, the third read request comprising the second data location; receive seismic data from the first section and the second section; merge the seismic data from the first section and the second section into the first portion; and transmit the first portion to a requestor.

15. The system of claim 13 , further comprising: a plurality of storage devices comprising: a first storage device for storing the first section; a second storage device for storing a second section; and a third storage device, wherein the seismic cube index application is further configured to: receive, from a requestor, a write request for writing resultant seismic data to seismic cube, the write request comprising a virtual location of a second portion of the seismic cube; query, using the virtual location of the second portion, the seismic cube index to identify the second section having the second portion corresponding to the second virtual location; select a second storage location on the third storage device for storing a new section of seismic cube; store, in the second storage location, the resultant seismic data as the new section; update the seismic cube index to reflect that the second portion is stored in the second storage location; and update the seismic cube index to indicate, for the second section, that a new version is created for the second portion.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein selecting the second storage location is performed in accordance with a write policy.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first portion is the same as the second portion.

18. The system of claim 13 , further comprising: an analysis device comprising an analysis application, wherein the analysis application is configured to: receive the first portion of the seismic cube; analyze the first portion of the seismic cube to obtain analysis results; and send, based on the analysis results, instructions for performing an oilfield operation to oilfield equipment located at the oilfield, wherein the analysis application is the requestor.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for processing requests for seismic data, the executable instructions comprising functionality to: receive, from a requestor, a first read request to read a first portion of a seismic cube, the first read request comprising a virtual location of the first portion, wherein the seismic cube is a set of seismic data elements specified for each portion of a geographic region that specifies a position of each data element in the geographic region, and wherein the virtual location is a geographic identifier of the first portion defined in relation to the seismic cube; query a seismic cube index to obtain a mapping parameter and a first storage location of a first section including the first portion of the seismic cube, the mapping parameter mapping virtual locations in the seismic cube with data locations in the first section, wherein the first section is identified using the virtual location of the first portion; calculate, with a computer processor and using the mapping parameter, a first data location in the first section corresponding to the virtual location of the first portion; and transmit a second read request to the first storage location of the first section, wherein the second read request comprises the first data location, wherein the requestor receives the first portion from the first storage location; receive, from the requestor, a write request for writing resultant seismic data to seismic cube, the write request comprising a virtual location of a second portion of the seismic cube; query, using the virtual location of the second portion, the seismic cube index to identify a second section having the second portion; select a second storage location for storing a new section of seismic cube; store, in the second storage location, the resultant seismic data as the new section; update the seismic cube index to reflect that the second portion is stored in the second storage location; and update the seismic cube index to indicate, for the second section, that a new version is created for the second portion.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the requestor receiving the first portion from the first storage location comprises: receiving a response to the second read request, wherein the response comprises the first portion; and forwarding the response to the requestor.